Tale of the tournament
by KPH338
Summary: After Orochimaru is defeated, the villages decide to form an alliance. but to decide the ruler of this new unified country a fighting tournament will be held... the winner becomes emperor.


He laid in the grass, breathing hard, blood trickling from his mouth. Every breath was a sharp stinging pain. The boy was suffering. He seemed about 13, brown hair, medium length, down to his eyebrows, and green eyes. There were welts all over his body, and an insignia engraved on his back that seemed to be branded on with burning steel. A 'X' shaped scar adorned his built chest. His body was numb, his mind couldn't remember anything but a shady figure in his past, treating him like an object and abusing him as he see fit. His eyes started to flicker, he sensed he was about to lose consciousness.

He paused and his eyes rolled up in his head, his hair started spreading down to the waist, like a lions mane, golden and smooth. His eyes rolled back down, but this time, they was no pupils, or anything recognizable about a human eye. The whole eye's were pitch black. Long claws grew out of his fingers, ten golden tails formed, and his chest is now covered in golden fur, the X shaped scar on his chest grew, turning white. He roared a bloodcurdling howl and rampaged through the forest, following what he sensed to be humans...

Meanwhile in the village of Konoha everyone was going about their normal business. The once rookie nine, and formally known as the Konoha twelve since the recovery of Uchiha Sasuke after the fall of Orochimaru, were relaxing on their day off, casually joined by a old friend, Sabuko no Gaara, and his siblings.

Uchiha Sasuke was training with his closest and best friend Uzamaki Naruto, insulting and mistreating like good old times.

Haruno Sakura was training with Yamanaka Ino, her rival and off and on companion.

Akamichi Choji was eating in his favorite Barbeque shop, stuffing himself full. If that's possible.

Lee was training with his inspirational sensai Maito Gai, learning about youthful ways to become stronger.

Hyuuga Neji and Ten Ten were training together, the unofficial couple panting as the bright sun beat on their sweat slicked skin.

Sabuko no Gaara the newly appointed kazekage of suna joined the konoha nins to celebrate the fall of Orochimaru, one of Konoha's number one S-class criminals, was sitting, meditating, waiting for the festivities to begin.

Kakashi was reading his infamous book, Icha Icha paradise, by his favorite old pervert one of the legendary sannin's Jiraiya.

Nara Shikamaru laid on his back, arms under his head, gazing at the fluffy clouds that hovered above him, Temari-Gaara's sister- sat by his head.

Naruto and Sasuke were in the middle of their spar, when a giant boom came from the forest. They both headed for the noise without a second thought, not caring about the danger that would await.

When the two young Shinobi arrived to see what resembled a lion and boy hybrid tearing apart the forest, dead animal carcasses scattered in blood and flesh the once green luscious grass.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto yelled.

"Whatever it is, it could destroy the village if not stopped now!" Sasuke replied. "Sharingan!" Sasuke yelled, his eyes turning a blood red, his pupil changing to what seemed to be three tear drops surrounding a dark black circle.

The beast took a swipe at his head but he dodged expertly, drawing his kunai knife and stabbing the beast's arm. The beast felt no damage from the blow, and if it did it hid it well, because it's only response was a blow to his gut, knocking him through several trees, until he lay in an unconscious lump at the end of a broken tree deep into the forest.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled to his wounded companion. There was no response. "BASTARDD!" Naruto screeched, running towards the beast, fists clenched.

The beast threw an attack at Naruto, and It collided with him Right in the face. Sasuke's eyes opened to see his partner struck headless.

"NARUTOO!" he screamed for his dead companion. He got up, eyes blood red, "CHIDORI!" he shouted, his arm flowing with electricity, "NOW YOU DIE!" he screamed, charging the beast, the beast took a swipe at the enraged shinobi's head, but he expertly dodged it, he struck the beast in the middle of the face with his chidori.

It screamed, its nose shooting blood, veins popping in it's forehead, and it's eye's bloodshot. It grabbed the enraged shinobi by the neck, squeezing hard enough to choke, but not to kill just yet. Sasuke was in pain.

"I'm Sorry Naruto..." He murmured, and then everything turned black. Sasuke fell to the forest floor in a lump, breathing hard claw marks across his neck, oozing blood.

His eyes went back to normal before his eyelids closed and he fell into darkness. The beast, satisfied with its attack on Sasuke, and its murder of Naruto let it's guard down.

But then a scream rang out in the air above the beast. "RASENGAN!" It echoed.

The beast looked up to see a Naruto, falling from the air, arm glowing bright red, falling from the heavens to the ground. The last thing the beast saw before it was struck on the head with the Rasengan was an image of a nine tailed demon fox.

Sakura went into the forest the next morning wondering what had happened to Naruto and Sasuke that night. She kept walking, until she heard a moan. She followed the sound. When she found them she couldn't believe her eyes.

She screamed.

There lay her companions, Naruto unconscious, a young boy she didn't recognize, face bloody and skull bruised to a pulp. Sasuke lay on the ground, neck oozing blood and a tear on his shirt in the shape of a lions paw, the skin beneath the ripped shirt was bruised and mangled.

Dark fear washed over her.

'_Who is that boy?' _shethought._ 'Is Sasuke dead_, _What did this!'_ she thought again. She growled in frustration.

She didn't know what to do, if the threat did this to her companions, she did not want to face it. But her sense of duty kicked in.

She was a shinobi.

She looked back down at the faces of her mauled and bloody teammates. She would of never dreamed that the boy she loved the most got beaten that mercilessly.

The boy next to Sasuke, Naruto. The boy she thought of as a brother, and so clueless to the things that were so obvious around him.

She was scared that the thing that did this to them may soon be back. The Only Thing she could do was wait with them and protect them until they had healed. She placed her hands over Sasuke's chest, her chakra doing a scan then closing up the more fatal wounds, she did the same to Naruto, then to the unknown boy. He was at least two years younger then them.

She set up camp, made a fire, soaked some rags and put them on the foreheads of the mangled shinobi's and boy. She sat wondering what could have done this to them, and why they were in the forest at that time of night anyways.

As Sasuke started to pulse and shake, she realized that no amount of medical jutsu would work, she frowned at that. They could not heal with her help.

She was their only chance of survival, and she must head into the forest to find a cure, no matter the fear of the ominous beast that damaged her companions.

Haruno Sakura headed into the depths of the forest, searching for a cure, not knowing that the beast was indeed the child...


End file.
